Our Staff
Elena Kapustina, MBA, PsyD
Founder, CEO and Iris Ambassador
Dr. Kapustina found her true calling and completed her PsyD in Clinical Psychology after earning her MBA and spending years working as the CFO for major corporations. She founded Iris Healing Retreat to work with dually diagnosed patients holistically in order to create more sustainable recovery. From managing 1000 employees to creating a top of the line treatment center, Dr. Kapustina harnesses her passion to create positive experiences for others.
After completing her Doctorate degree and successfully defending her dissertation “Conceptualizing Spirituality in Psychotherapy,” she opened the doors to Iris Healing Retreat in Woodland Hills. Subsequently, she opened an outpatient wellness center nearby to provide an amazing continuum of care for those seeking treatment from substance abuse, co-occurring disorders and clients with trauma.
Elena is uniquely positioned to support clients and their families through the process of recovery due to her diverse education, combining real world business acumen with a grounded, compassionate and nurturing approach to individual care. Whenever Elena is not with clients or their families, you will see her attending educational events, conferences and just enjoying talking to people and helping as much as she can! She is an eternal student – constantly seeking new paths to personal growth and evolution that she can offer her community and clients.
Elena served as the editor for a charitable psychology magazine called Gratitude and continues to volunteer and support several non-profits. She strongly believes in treatment over incarceration and therefore spends substantial time bringing awareness to the legal community while also advocating for her clients She has a sense of adventure – having explored over 40 countries – which gives her a open-minded and diverse perspective on her work. In her free time you can find Elena playing on the beach with her daughter and practicing hot yoga.
We are sending Love, Light and Peace from Elena to all of you!
Christian Vincent, Ph.D.
Clinical Director
Dr. Vincent has a passion for the treatment of trauma and dissociative disorders. Her clinical work is informed by an extensive knowledge of depth psychology, where soul and psyche come together for deep healing and transformation. She received a Masters in Counseling Psychology and Doctorate in Depth Psychology with specialization in psychotherapy from Pacifica Graduate Institute. Her areas of research include dissociative identity disorder, complicated grief, and the demon lover complex.
Dr. Vincent completed her traineeship at Community Counseling Center of Southern Nevada where she worked extensively with individuals and facilitated groups for clients in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction, anger management, and dual diagnosis. She completed her internship at Coldwater Counseling Center in Studio City where she treated a diverse population of clients from a depth psychological approach, including dream tending, sand tray therapy, guided imagery exercises, and spiritual exploration.
As a member of the Iris treatment team, Dr. Vincent works with individual clients and facilitates groups at the residential and IOP program. She invites clients to explore addiction and recovery from a place which integrates soul and psyche into their journey toward wholeness.
Beata Lundeen
Consulting Spiritual Director
Beata Lundeen has spent 40 years in the field of professional addiction treatment services as a nurse, interventionist and business development specialist. After experiencing her own spiritual transformation through years of one-to-one professional Spiritual Direction, Beata graduated from Stillpoint, an accredited school of Spiritual Direction. She now guides others in the process of spiritual growth, intentional practices, and personal discernment of life decisions.
Beata is a vital component at Iris Healing Retreat and has helped many, many individuals discover the power of love, contentedness, appreciation and spirituality in their lives…our clients are so blessed to have the opportunity to work with Beata!
George Walczak, LMFT
Primary Therapist
George is a Senior Lecturer at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. In 2018 George celebrates his twentieth anniversary as a member of the AFI’s faculty. In his course, The Great Screenplays, George teaches screenwriters how to use psychology in developing their stories and characters for the screen. George holds an MFA in screenwriting and won the prestigious Sloan Award for screenwriting in 1997. George also earned an MA in counseling from Pacifica Graduate Institute and has a private practice in Pasadena where he specializes in Mindfulness approaches to treating addiction and in helping creatives in the entertainment industry cope with the special challenges of their profession. As a twenty-year-old in college, George began a life-long commitment to exploring Buddhism and meditation. George eventually took refuge vows and has been practicing the Dharma and meditation for forty years. In 2011, George was ordained a Zen priest in the Order of the Boundless Way. George is married and has two adult children.
Dr. Daniel Hoffman
Primary Therapist
Dr. Daniel Hoffman is a Psychological Assistant and Primary Therapist at Iris Healing Retreat under the Supervision of Dr. Helene O’Mahony. He specializes in the treatment of trauma and anxiety, and has worked in the addiction field since 2011. He received a doctorate in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Somatic Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2016 after completing a study exploring the treatment of sexual trauma and abuse from a somatic perspective. He is certified in the practice of the Threefold Way method of psychotherapy – an integrated approach that considers body, mind, and spirit when addressing the whole field of human suffering and transformation – training under the founder, Dr. Michael Sieck, since 2012. A practitioner of qigong and meditation since 2003, he brings a mindful and non-judgmental approach to therapy with his clients, fostering an atmosphere of kindness, compassion, and personal exploration that seeks to address the roots of long-standing psychological struggles.
Natasha Dellinger Singer, LCSW, CADAC-II
Primary Therapist
Natasha has more than 25 years of professional experience in Grief & Loss, Trauma, Substance Abuse, Depression and Anxiety and much more. She integrates her 30 years of working with Native American Healing and Wisdom into her practice. She has healed from traumas and tragedies in her own life and her personal experience, coupled with education and professional experience, come together in a unique and powerful way to help you heal your wounds and gain the peace of mind and well-being you deserve.
She enjoys working in partnership with people who want to increase their self-empowerment, self-esteem, and happiness.
New York and California Licensed Clinical Social Worker
On the Board of California Society for Clinical Social Work (CSCSW)
Trauma Resiliency Model, Level I
California Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADAC-II)
Certified Bereavement Therapist
Certified Anger Management Counselor
Association of Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP)
National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
Meditation, Breath Work, Native American Ceremonies, and Shamanism
Irina Kapustina
Director of Operations
Irina brings her wealth of experience to ensure the smooth daily operations for Iris Healing retreat. Before joining the Iris team, Irina had her own company that worked internationally and then spent several years working in a large corporation. Irina is passionate about the healing work that happens at Iris Healing Retreat and she brings her business acumen as well as her compassion for clients in recovery with her every day.
Ricardo Hernandez
Program Manager
Rick Hernandez is the Program Manager at Iris Healing Retreat, he is a certified Substance Abuse Counselor with many years of experience in the field of addiction treatment. Rick not only draws from his personal recovery journey to help others recover, but also obtained his college degree in Addiction Studies to deepen his skill set and knowledge of treatment. Rick is currently working on becoming a Social Worker to better help the population that he is working with. He is also an active member of his community and is involved with different organizations on supporting families with at risk youth.
Shannon Savage-Howie
Spiritual Advisor
Shannon Savage-Howie is a certified Spiritual Director and a certified SoulCollage® and labyrinth facilitator. It is her passion to connect people to a deeper, more meaningful understanding of self and life, particularly in regards to recovery. Shannon has more than 12 years of experience working with children, youth, and families. She lives in Ventura County with her husband and two young children.
Shannon is committed to and enjoys journeying with others as they search for higher power in the midst of the complexities that we all experience, in our day-to-day lives and relationships. Shannon provides one-on-one and group spiritual direction, as well as leading workshops or retreats on various topics related to spirituality including general practices, vocation, wellness, and family. Alongside with Shannon’s certification as a spiritual director she is also certified as a SoulCollage® Facilitator (www.soulcollage.com), and have been certified by Veriditas (www.veriditas.org) to lead individuals and groups in various types of labyrinth experiences.
Shannon has a lot of experience in teaching and leading groups both large and small. She has a passion for working with clients to support them and help them live into the best, most competent, and healthy version of who they are meant to be. Iris team and clients are thrilled to have Shannon with us!